I have an Esaote My Lab 30 gold. I have been doing more echoes lately but I am a bit frustrated. When I try to image the heart base my images are rather dark. I have increased the gain but that only helps so much till I get noise. I do use the “Adjust” button. I do use a low frequency PA probe. Needless to say the 2D images are grainy. What I have been doing lately is using my higher frequency curvi-linear probe for the 2D images and switch to the PA when I do Spectral Doppler.
I have an Esaote My Lab 30 gold. I have been doing more echoes lately but I am a bit frustrated. When I try to image the heart base my images are rather dark. I have increased the gain but that only helps so much till I get noise. I do use the “Adjust” button. I do use a low frequency PA probe. Needless to say the 2D images are grainy. What I have been doing lately is using my higher frequency curvi-linear probe for the 2D images and switch to the PA when I do Spectral Doppler.
Just another point- the CL probe seems to have more problems with rib interference and seems to be more painful for the pet. None of the probes are very comfortable. I have been using my index finger to open the window a bit. Is there any way to make the probes more comfortable for the pets. Maybe engineering needs to design a small snug “standoff” pad for the probes.
Out of all the valves to do spectral doppler studies I seem to have the most problem with the tricuspid. I have seen the videos that EL posted and he describes the technique (ie go back one rib space and point toward the right shoulder) but it never seems to be quite that easy for me. I seem to do better with the left parasternal long axis view.
Any helpful hints to a “newbie” would be appreciated.
8 responses to “Echo Image Quality”
Lots to cover here
Lots to cover here Randy…. we should have the echo SDEP poster video done soon that will help with a lot of this. If you are having the TV issue you are likely pressing too hard… right heart compresses easily. You press with the index finger enough to collapse the lung but not enough to collapse the right atrium. Then its just angle. The Tv you can get form the right ps long axis oblique, or the heart base or position 3 on the poster form the left side. Some patients work well on one and others on another.
Here are a couple of examples oif TR aliasing on pw but you can see the 2 positions I use mostly.
Tough to cover more of this virtually its likely a hands on issue.
Regarding the settings on the mylab perhaps Peter or someone else driving esaote can help more here as I drive a logic E currently.
Lots to cover here
Lots to cover here Randy…. we should have the echo SDEP poster video done soon that will help with a lot of this. If you are having the TV issue you are likely pressing too hard… right heart compresses easily. You press with the index finger enough to collapse the lung but not enough to collapse the right atrium. Then its just angle. The Tv you can get form the right ps long axis oblique, or the heart base or position 3 on the poster form the left side. Some patients work well on one and others on another.
Here are a couple of examples oif TR aliasing on pw but you can see the 2 positions I use mostly.
Tough to cover more of this virtually its likely a hands on issue.
Regarding the settings on the mylab perhaps Peter or someone else driving esaote can help more here as I drive a logic E currently.
Hi!
Seems like the presets
Hi!
Seems like the presets you use are inappropriate for our purposes. If your images are too dark and grainy, there can be several reasons:
Which PA probes do you use?
I’m not using a 30 but a MylabClass C, a Mylab70 and a Mylab alpha. I had the problem once with my PA 023 probe even though the presets were optimal. It turned out that the probe was damaged and after replacing it the images were optimal again.
If you use the microconvex for cardiacs, you have to reduce the line density to 1, the persistence to 1 or 2, to reduce the dynamic range and increase the sharpness (compression). When doing color, you should reduce the line density to 1 again, the persistence to 2-3 and to incresase the PRF to a Nyquist limit of approx 0.7-0.9 m/s.
Peter
Hi!
Seems like the presets
Hi!
Seems like the presets you use are inappropriate for our purposes. If your images are too dark and grainy, there can be several reasons:
Which PA probes do you use?
I’m not using a 30 but a MylabClass C, a Mylab70 and a Mylab alpha. I had the problem once with my PA 023 probe even though the presets were optimal. It turned out that the probe was damaged and after replacing it the images were optimal again.
If you use the microconvex for cardiacs, you have to reduce the line density to 1, the persistence to 1 or 2, to reduce the dynamic range and increase the sharpness (compression). When doing color, you should reduce the line density to 1 again, the persistence to 2-3 and to incresase the PRF to a Nyquist limit of approx 0.7-0.9 m/s.
Peter
Thank you both for your
Thank you both for your imput.
I will bring my machine home and make sure I have the presets correctly entered. If nothing changes then I will have Esaote look at my probe.
I have a PA240 probe
I have a PA240 probe
Thank you both for your
Thank you both for your imput.
I will bring my machine home and make sure I have the presets correctly entered. If nothing changes then I will have Esaote look at my probe.
I have a PA240 probe
I have a PA240 probe